Updated May 10, 2026.
If you searched for a free Chrome screen recorder this week, two names probably came up: Screencastify, the long-running classroom favorite, and Clipy, a newer, web-first recorder built around instant share links. They look similar at a glance — install nothing, capture a tab, share it. Look closer and the trade-offs are very different.
This is a no-marketing-fluff comparison. We work on Clipy, so we have a side, but the limits and pricing here come from each product's public pages.
The 30-second answer
- Pick Screencastify if you're a teacher already inside Google Classroom, you live in Drive, and you want classroom-specific features like quizzes embedded in video.
- Pick Clipy if you want unlimited recording length on a free plan, no install, no watermark, and a share link the second you stop recording — for any use, classroom or not.
How do the free-plan limits actually compare?
The free plans are where most users live, so let's start there.
Screencastify Free
- 10 videos lifetime cap on the free plan.
- 30-minute maximum length per recording.
- Watermark on free-tier exports outside Drive.
- Editor features mostly behind the paid plan.
Clipy Free
- Unlimited recordings.
- Unlimited length per recording.
- No watermark, ever.
- No credit card; no paid tier required to remove caps.
For a single teacher recording a 12-minute lesson, that difference is the entire decision. Screencastify will hard-stop your lesson at 30 minutes — and after 10 lifetime recordings you’re out of free videos entirely. Clipy keeps recording.
Where does each tool live?
Screencastify is a Chrome extension first. It hooks into Drive, Classroom, and YouTube. If you teach with Google Workspace, that ecosystem fit is the real reason to use it. Sharing typically means a Drive link — fine inside school, less fine when you need to send a clip to a developer or a customer.
Clipy is a web app first: clipy.online opens in any modern browser, you click record, you stop, you get a clipy.online/c/<id> link. The link plays in any browser, on any device, with no sign-up required to watch. There is also a desktop app for system-audio capture and longer-form work.
How do Clipy and Screencastify compare side-by-side?
| Feature | Screencastify Free | Clipy Free |
|---|---|---|
| Length cap | 30 minutes | None |
| Recording cap | 10 lifetime | None |
| Watermark | Yes (outside Drive) | No |
| Install | Chrome extension | Web app, no install |
| Sharing | Drive / YouTube link | Direct clipy.online link |
| Viewer sign-up | Drive permissions apply | Public link, no sign-up |
| Editor | Paid only | Trim included |
| Webcam overlay | Yes | Yes |
| Price to remove caps | $10/mo (Starter) | $0 |
Use case: which wins for a 45-minute math lesson?
You record a 45-minute lesson with shared screen and webcam.
- Screencastify Free: the recording cuts at 30 minutes. You either record two clips and stitch them in the paid editor, or upgrade — and that single lesson eats 1/10th of your lifetime video allowance.
- Clipy Free: 45 minutes records as one file. You stop, you get a link, you paste it in Classroom or email. Done.
Use case: which wins for a 45-second bug report?
Both tools handle this well — it's well under any free-plan length cap. The real difference is the share step.
- Screencastify drops it in Drive. Your engineer needs Drive access or a public link toggle.
- Clipy gives you a link the moment you stop. Paste in Slack or Linear; the link plays inline.
How do Clipy and Screencastify compare on privacy and ownership?
Both products store recordings on their servers. Clipy's links are unlisted by default — only people with the URL can play. Screencastify inherits Drive's permissions model, which is more granular if you live in Workspace and more confusing if you don't.
Both let you delete videos at any time.
When is Screencastify the better pick?
- You teach with Google Classroom and want classroom-specific features (quiz overlays, assignment integration).
- You need every recording to land in your school's Drive automatically.
- Your district has standardized on Screencastify and provided licenses.
When is Clipy the better pick?
- You want unlimited recordings and unlimited length on a real free tier.
- You need a recorder that works outside the classroom — for product demos, bug reports, support replies, customer walkthroughs.
- You don't want to install a browser extension.
- You want a share link that works for any viewer, with no sign-up.
If you're past the "casual classroom only" use case, the math gets one-sided fast. Clipy's free tier removes the limits that push Screencastify users to upgrade in the first place.
Frequently asked questions
Is Screencastify really free?
Screencastify has a free tier, but it caps you at 10 lifetime videos and 30 minutes per recording, with a watermark on exports outside Drive. For most education use cases (lessons, recorded lectures), the 10-video lifetime cap is the wall people hit first. Clipy doesn’t impose a length cap or a video count on free.
Does Clipy integrate with Google Workspace the way Screencastify does?
Not directly. Screencastify’s deepest integration is with Google Drive and Classroom — if you’re a teacher with a Workspace-for-Education account, that’s a real win. Clipy hosts recordings on its own infrastructure and gives you a clipy.online share link that works anywhere; you can also download the MP4 and upload it to Drive yourself.
Does Screencastify add a watermark on the free tier?
Yes — free-tier exports outside Drive carry a Screencastify watermark, and the editor is mostly behind the paid plan. Clipy doesn’t add a watermark on any tier and gives you the full MP4 download.
Does Clipy work outside Chrome?
Yes. Clipy works in Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Arc out of the box. Screencastify is Chrome-extension-only. If your school or workplace standardizes on Edge, that matters.
Which is better for teachers?
If your school uses Google Classroom and your lessons fit inside the 10-lifetime-video, 30-minute-per-recording free cap, Screencastify’s Drive/Classroom integration is the smoother default. For longer lessons, more than ten recordings, lessons that need to be embedded outside Drive, or any teacher whose school doesn’t use Google Workspace, Clipy is the simpler pick.
Try Clipy free. One-click screen recording in your browser, instant share link, no watermark, no time limit, no sign-up to watch. Start recording at clipy.online — or download the desktop app for system-audio capture.